Still Greek To Me

If there's one thing I've loved about Athens, it's knowing that a little piece of history is around every corner. Truly, it's like visiting Neverland Ranch before the cops arrive. This year's Olympics represent something of a homecoming for the games, as this is really where it all started, in ancient Greece BC (Before Costas). Unfortunately, there is no filmed record of the Olympics for this period, and even if there were, NBC would own exclusive rights to broadcast the highlights from 1:00 - 4:00 am. So the only way to snatch a glimpse of ceremonies past is through the extensive collection of ancient Greek artifacts collected in museums around the globe.

These relics - wall paintings, plates, vases, dusty gift-shop trinkets - offer a fascinating peak into antiquity. They also beg the question: are today's Olympics really that different from the games of yore?

For instance, corporate sponsorship of athletes and sporting events has been a frequent target of the civic-minded in modern times but even in the idealistic Greek republic of old, a strong touch of commercialism crept in:




Happily, in 40 AD, the barbaric practice of branding star equestrians with company logos was ended by the Roman Emperor Caligula, who termed it "no way to treat a lady."

Drug scandals have also marred many an Olympic outing in recent years, but they are nothing new either:




Here we see a top wrester's freshly drawn specimen examined for trace elements of barley and staghorn, a potent cocktail in ancient Greece, said to enhance athletic performance even more than "training for four twilights with the blessing of Zeus." The disqualified were universally reviled - driven from the public arena, except for appearances in Pagan "reality" pageants like The Simple Rite.

As many Olympic activities were performed in the nude, it might seem that society was less hostile to free expression. But even then, there were some standards:




In particular, the javelin toss was broadcast on a "turn-your-head-for-four-seconds-in-case-something-gruesome-takes-place" delay.

Finally, there was the rewarding of prizes. From the beginning, Olympics officials made sure that the judging of all events was scrupulously fair. But sometimes mistakes were made:




We may never know who really deserved to win that year. But the torch of excellence still rages as fiercely as any slighted Olympian at any point in our history.

Feeling a little more ancient,

LF